With Deshaun Watson out for the season, the Cleveland Browns have a decision to make at the quarterback position. Holding the No. 2 overall pick, they can realistically select either of the two top-end quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.
But with both college stars possessing vastly different skill sets, the Browns will have to adjust their system according to who joins the squad. However, one NFL analyst believes their current structure can only work with one of the names. Otherwise, it’ll be an abject disaster for Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns Are at a Crossroads
Last season, a combination of Watson, Jameis Winston, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Bailey Zappe suited up as the Browns’ quarterback. Of the combination, only Watson and Winston qualified for PFSN’s QB+ metric. Winston finished 29th with a 65.7 grade (D), while Watson was dead last of 39 qualified quarterbacks (44.3, F grade).
As a result, Cleveland unsurprisingly finished dead last in PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
However, with a regular top-10 defense, the Browns have the chance to be competitive if they can add even adequate quarterback play to the equation.
The potential loss of Myles Garrett, who formally requested a trade from the team, will hurt Cleveland. But the Browns have enough personnel to still maintain a strong defensive unit. On the offensive end, however, the decision splits between Ward and Sanders, but one analyst believes only the latter makes sense for the team.
PFSN’s Kyle Soppe, in his bold predictions for every team in the 2025 season, gave credit to both QBs, “Ward is a dynamic athlete who can move around and extend plays, while Sanders is more of a calming presence with the potential to be a highly efficient professional passer in short order.”
Moreover, he believes both have a high chance of success in the league as well. Yet, Sanders is the clear-cut choice if Cleveland wants to be successful immediately.
“Both skill sets are more than capable of winning at a high level in this league, but when it comes to high-pedigree QBs, it’s been efficiency that has proven successful.”
Teams with rookie QBs win nearly 80% of the game when completing 75% of their passes, whereas the numbers drop to just above 30% for anything lower.
For a Kevin Stefanski-led offense that ranks fifth in the league since 2020 in air yards per throw (8.2), an efficient quarterback like Sanders might be the way to go. Even behind a derelict offensive line at Colorado, he was above 65% completions in every year of his career.
For the 20th-ranked offensive line, per PFSN’s OL+ metric, the Browns’ efficiency could increase further, especially with Stefanski making the necessary changes.
“His strengths would likely result in Stefanski changing his play-calling stripes a bit while the raw talent of Ward could result in a very aggressive 2025.”
Moreover, with Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku as playmakers, it’s hard for an efficient QB to not build a much better offense than their position this past season.
Overall, Soppe concludes, “Cleveland doubles its win total if they land Shedeur Sanders in the draft and repeat their struggles if Cam Ward is their first pick.”